EAST BRUNSWICK – Police Chief Frank LoSacco nominated two police officers for the N.J. State Association of Chiefs of Police’s prestigious Valor Award for preventing a distraught man from attempting suicide.
LoSacco credited Officers Robert Thuring and Ryan Hensperger with stopping a 28-year-old man from jumping off a Route 18 overpass onto the busy New Jersey Turnpike on June 21, 2020.
Thuring and Hensperger are among 33 nominees from nine police departments in line for this year’s Valor Award to be presented at the 109th NJSACOP’s Annual Conference & Police Security Expo Aug. 23–26 in Atlantic City, according to information provided by Jaffe Communications.
LoSacco said the two officers grabbed and struggled with the agitated man, noting “they could have easily been pulled over the overpass railing and also fallen 50 feet onto Turnpike traffic below,” according to the statement.
He described their actions as “quick, decisive” and “clearly reflective of their dedication to duty,” according to the statement.
Thuring is an eight-year veteran of the department who began his law enforcement career in 2011 as a Monroe Township patrolman.
Hensperger was hired as an East Brunswick police officer in 2017 and has a criminal justice degree from Rutgers University
The NJSACOP established its Valor Award in 2000 to recognize New Jersey police officers and private citizens who demonstrate exceptional heroism and commitment to their profession, their law enforcement agency and to the public they serve, according to the statement.
Learn more about the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police at www.NJSACOP.org
